Hackney artists light the Wick

Hackney WickED Art Festival is back for its second year, showcasing the latest up and coming contemporary art in a nascent constellation of galleries and open studios.

The festival is taking place across Hackney Wick and Fish Island (next to the Olympic Stadium site just south of Hackney Wick, in E3) with the participation of over 400 artists – half of whom live in the Wick itself.

Indeed, Hackney Wick is home to a growing influx of artists, musicians, actors, circus and cabaret performers; indeed, arts and creative industries folk generally.

Nineteen galleries and seventeen open studios are taking part to produce the main festival as well as 17 additional special events, including a live music stage in the Main Yard, Prince Edward Road, and Graffiti Jam, in the yard of 92 White Post Lane, Schwartz Projects, Saturday by ONIT Design)

The buildings of the former Percy Dalton Peanut Factory in Smeed Road and Dace Road are offering open studios from award winning artists and some of the East End’s finest emerging creative talent.

There will also be a wide variety of goings-on over the festival weekend; of particular note is the Smeed Road community street party.

Joanna Hughes, artist and founder of Mother Studios (and one of the six Festival directors) said, “Setting up the festival was done on a whim last year!

“It’s amazing bringing together all these artists working in the Wick, inviting other artists nationally and internationally giving them all a platform to show what they are about. No matter how famous they are or are not.

“We are using all the space inside and outside that we can get our hands on. Typically industrious artists! The Hackney Wicked is certainly unique. We hope to continue with this festival long after the Olympics has left”.

The festivities start at 6pm on Friday 31 July, when Hackney WickED welcomes the world to innovative shows from some of London’s most astonishing galleries and artists’ open studios.

Galleries and studios open (unless otherwise stated):

Friday 31 July 6-9pm
Sat 1 and Sun 2 Aug 12-6pm

Some will be open throughout the evening, but please enquire directly with individual studios.

Noteworthy shows include:

The Tomorrow People: artists of the future now
At Elevator Gallery. Curated by rising starlets Simon Reuben White and Snoozie Hexagon, showcasing an exceptional collection of the best work from emerging UK artists. www.elevatorgallery.co.uk

Kobetsvasey is curating ‘Between my Finger and my Thumb’ at Schwartz Gallery for Schwartz Projects, a multi-disciplinary intervention in the gallery space exploring and disrupting modes and expectations of group show hangs.

Decima Gallery is hosting The Decima Mini-Festival of non-stop partying, free drinking, dogs and disco dancing featuring – in its second year running – the Decima Art Olympics and also the Decima Travelling Shop.

Top and Tail Gallery presents ‘Glory Hole’ an exhibition revolving around Victorian London. From the Dickensian Gin palaces to the squalor of East end lifestyle.

Guy Hilton Gallery presents 26 Oslo; a pop-up gallery will present The Museum of Hackney Wick; multidisciplinary events include Whippit, ‘InCounter’ and ‘Hackney Transients Project’ at the ‘Counter Café’ and two exciting groups come together to present ‘In Place, A Wall’ and ‘Jamais Vu’ in The Conference Room at Forman’s.

More exhibitions are being shown at Mission Gallery, Main Yard Gallery, Stage Factory, Show Dome and Fish Island Art Gallery.

Additional events:
Artist Dave Notarius’ Artscream Truck, The Resurrection of Laura May’s iconic HollyWick sign from the giddy heights of Oslo House, a Cave Installation, The Hive Cabaret, Sonic Art Installations, a Live Graffiti Jam, Out Door Film Screening, Guided Tours, Workshops, Portable Cinema, Poetry, Installations from 11 artists at Tangent Art Projects, Ashes and Diamonds Theatre Group and Burning of The Wicker Man at dusk.

Rosie Emerson in her studio, Hackney Wick

Artists include:
Paul Sakoilsky, Stephen Gill, David Blandy, Rosie Emerson, Mark Pawson, Tina Hage, Laura Oldfield Ford, Pil & Galia Kollectiv, Transition Editions (Cathy Lomax), Decima Dogs, Jon Purnell, Simon Ould and Louise Loudon, Deej Fabyc, cApStAn StRiNg, Josephine Chime, Mark Mcgowan, Grant Foster, Frog Morris, Lee Campbell, Dave Notarius, Ingrid Z, Galactica Hilton, Sarah Doyle, Laura May Lewis, Snoozie Hexagon, Simge Peker, Russell Herron and many more.

With live music from:
The Bobby McGees, Galileo with Lois Winstone, Baby Bo, Jukebox Collective, East London Vocal & Beatbox Jam, The Byte Stripes, Gravy Train, Only Joe, Travel Agency, Evi vine, Kate Daisy Grant, ZeJ, Douce Angoisse, Craig Template, Gum Takes Tooth, Los Sputniks, Pulsar Private Lives and many more, playing the Main Yard, 88-96 Wallis Rd, Hackney Wick, E9 5LN.

Getting there:

Hackney Wick Overground station and Buses 388, 26, N26, 30, 8, 276. No Overground on Sunday 2 August.

The Bobby McGees